One bln euros military aid from Netherlands and rocket attack on Israel - Friday brief

Russia's war against Ukraine: Latest news

• According to the General Staff, 81 combat engagements took place in Ukraine's frontline over the past day. Aggressor forces are trying to break through in the Bakhmut and Novopavlivka directions.
• The total losses of the Russian army in personnel since the beginning of the large-scale invasion have already exceeded 451 thousand occupants.
• Moscow is sending personnel from the he Pacific Fleet of the Russian Federation to the war in Ukraine, as well as the 11th Army of the Russian Armed Forces and the Airborne Assault Forces. These actions of the enemy are related to the purpose of replenishing personnel after significant losses.
• Russia has fired nearly 1,000 missiles, about 2,800 attack drones, and nearly 7,000 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine. Most of the occupiers' targets were civilians, not military.
• Components from other countries were found in the missiles used by Russian troops to attack Ukrainian thermal power plants. In particular, these are Asian and Western countries.

Zelenskyy: Netherlands allocates additional billion euros for military aid to Ukraine

The Netherlands has allocated an additional one billion euros for military assistance to Ukraine. Another 400 million euros were also allocated for the restoration of Ukraine, states Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"In a recent telephone conversation, Prime Minister Mark Rutte informed that the Netherlands had allocated an additional billion euros for military assistance to Ukraine and 400 million euros for reconstruction. This is in addition to the commitments under our bilateral security agreement. Thank you, Mark, thank you, Dutch people! This is an excellent example of supporting Ukraine," wrote Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy and Rutte also discussed joint efforts with partners to expedite the supply of artillery shells, ammunition, and air defense systems.

The President thanked Rutte for the successful Justice for Ukraine conference in The Hague and the launch of the Register of Damage as a result of it.

Preparations for the Peace Summit in Switzerland were also discussed. Zelenskyy invited the Netherlands to join.

Sirens sounded in northern Israel: Country attacked with rockets

In northern Israel on the evening of Friday, April 12, a rocket attack warning siren sounded. Over 50 rockets were launched across the country from Lebanon, according to The Times of Israel and the IDF.

According to the source, rocket warning alerts were heard in populated areas of the Galilee province near the Lebanese border.

Videos from the scene show several Iron Dome missile interceptors firing at enemy rockets.

Earlier, sirens were also heard in other cities, indicating the possible penetration of drones into the country. Currently, there have been no reports of damage or injuries.

Later, the IDF reported that about 40 launches were detected from Lebanese territory in northern Israel, some of which were intercepted. The rest fell in open areas.

Ukraine is in talks for two Patriot batteries and one SAMP-T

As of today, Ukraine is actively negotiating for two Patriot batteries and one Samp-T, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba.

"All Patriot batteries ultimately depend on the decision of the United States, as it is an American system. We know for sure where and what is located. Currently, active negotiations are ongoing about 2 Patriot batteries and one SAMP-T battery," the minister noted.

He pointed out that if the countries that have these systems were ready to transfer them to Ukraine now, it would be a matter of weeks for Ukraine to receive them.

Ukraine requests air defense systems for Dniester HPP from partners

The Government of Ukraine is consulting with partners on providing additional air defense systems to protect the Dniester HPP, according to Ukrainian Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko.

At the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Halushchenko mentioned several attempted attacks on this facility. Consequently, the government initiated negotiations with Western partners to provide air defense systems for the Dniester HPP.

"If something happens to this facility, it will affect not only Ukraine. I hope Western partners agree to provide the necessary air defense systems," the Minister said.

Ukraine procures EW systems for critical infrastructure

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has adopted a decision that will allow the purchase of electronic warfare (EW) equipment to protect critical infrastructure, states Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities meeting.

He said that the government is focusing on three areas in the energy sector amid ongoing Russian attacks:

• Quick repairs and restoration of generation and distribution facilities.
• Decentralization of the energy system (Ukraine already has 120 mini-CHPs installed).
• Strengthening the air defense system.

Additionally, according to Shmyhal, the government has allocated an additional 3.88 billion hryvnias for fortification and 2.5 billion hryvnias for the construction and equipping of shelters for this year. Moreover, the budget includes over 40 billion hryvnias to support and restore the country's economy.